COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTIONNarwhal Imperial Stout is the latest beer in Sierra Nevada’s High Altitude Series. This malt-forward monster is bold – with notes of baker’s cocoa, molasses, and dark roasted coffee. This massive imperial stout is incredibly complex, rich, and intense and will develop in the bottle for years to come.

Another one that I can’t believe took me so long to try. On tap at HOTB. Pours a dark brown black with a medium brown head. Aromas of fudge, ash, tobacco. Taste is lightly sweet and acrid. Really well balanced and flavorful. Body is medium thick. Carbonation is medium low.

12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 10/5/2012. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1 finger dense dark tan head with great retention, that reduces to a small thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toast, dark bread, licorice, leather, tobacco, light pine, light smoke/char, and roasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toast, dark bread, licorice, leather, char, tobacco, herbal, light pine, light smoke, and roasted earthiness. Good amount of roast/char and herbal hop bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toast, dark bread, char, leather, tobacco, light smoke, and roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible balance and complexity of dark/roasted/bready malt and earthy hop flavors; with a great roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very creamy and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is an awesome Russian imperial stout. All around great balance, robustness, and complexity of dark/roasted/bready malt and earthy hop flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.

2014 poured into a snifter. Appearance is dark as night with that nice dark khaki head that fades. I get cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, espresso, slight licorice, hint of spice in the aroma. Taste is complex and satisfying. Notes of coffee, chocolate (both sweet and bitter), toasted nuts, cinnamon, and at the end just a nod to the hops with a lingering oily texture. Solid, well executed imperial stout. Got some socked away for later!

12oz bottle packaged on 6 November 2014 as per the back label. Poured into a Westmalle goblet. It poured pitch black with minimal head and low retention. Smelled of mocha chocolate with hints of espresso at first but followed by some alcohol. Taste followed the smell with bittersweet chocolate and coffee. Later on some booze does show. It was smooth, creamy and velvety with very light carbonation. Overall, I thought that this was a decent stout. Taste wise its not the best of its style but it is certainly solid. I’ve also heard that it ages well so I may have to find another bottle to age a few years.

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